This invention relates generally to computer systems and in particular, to a power management control system in which a plurality of power monitoring and control devices are coupled to and controlled by a computer through a common bus.
In known power management control systems, a control computer communicates, via a network server, with intelligent end devices (IEDs), such as relays, meters, and other analysis tools and power control devices via an ethernet or other network to which the computer is connected. The network gateway facilitates communications between the computer and the network. User interfaces are used to configure and monitor the performance of IEDs. Adding and configuring IEDs and associated screens into a system from the user interface however, is a complex and tedious process typically having a steep learning curve. Further, source code usually needs to be added to a system when adding IEDs to a power management control system.